Impact of ground cover plants on pest management in West Virginia, USA, apple orchards
1997
Brown, M.W. | Zwet, T. van der | Glenn, D.M. (USDA, ARS, Appalachian Fruit Research Station, Kearneysville (USA))
Four ground cover species were found to have minimal effect on productivity in a study with mature apple trees in West Virginia, USA. The conventional orchard was managed according to standard commercial practices and the IPM orchard was planted with Secale cereale and Trifolium pratense. The IPM orchard received a Bacillus thuringiensis spray, the conventional orchard had an application of azinphosmethyl. Fungicide applications were similar for the two orchards. An introduction of branches from an unsprayed orchard enhanced biological control of Panonychus ulmi. Adult parasitic hymenoptera were more abundant and diverse in the IPM orchard. Ground covers reduced the vigor of the trees which resulted in much lower aphid populations than in the conventional orchard, thus reducing the number of aphidophagous species.
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